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Manual/Glossary
In this page we will try to briefly cover the terms players may find about OpenArena. For a mapping-related specific glossary, please refer to Mapping manual/Appendix A: Glossary of terms. A * AAS - Area Awareness System in short. An .AAS file is the one which allows bots to play in a certain map. * Accelerator pad(s) - Areas that give players a great horizontal push, allowing them to quickly reach far places. When the push is mostly vertical, instead, they are known as jump pads or bounce pads. * AFK - "Away From Keyboard" in short. Used by a player to say he can't stay in front of his PC. * All Rockets mode - A game variant where all players only own the rocket launcher. * AP - "Armor Points" in short. * Area Awareness System - The system which allows bots to play in the maps. Bots can't play in maps which lack an .AAS file. * Arena ** Arena, file extension - An .arena file is a text file which comes inside the PK3 file of a map, and tells the game for which gametypes the map should be listed, in skirmish or multiplayer create menus. A map lacking an .arena file can still be accessed using the console. ** Arena(s), map(s) - Each match happens inside a closed map known as arena. The game comes with a number of stock maps, and many more can be downloaded. * Arenas.txt - It's a file which holds the list of stock OpenArena maps, telling the game under which gametypes each map should be listed in menus. Additional maps can add themselves to the list with smaller ".arena" files. * Arena Shooter or Arena FPS - The kind of game OpenArena is. Fast paced deathmatches in closed maps. * Armor - Usually, players enter the match with no armor points. When their armor goes over 100, it slowly goes down to 100. Armor, if own, absorbs 2/3 of damage. ** Armor bonuses - The game includes bonuses which provide +5, +50 or +100 armor points, up to temporarily reach 200. * AS - Armor Shard (+5 AP bonus) in short. * Asset(s) - The "assets" term is used to identify the files which constitute the game that are not engine or gamecode. It refers to maps, textures, shaders, 3d models, sounds, etc. OpenArena assets are released under GPLv2+ license, just like its source code.When id Software released the code of Quake III Arena under GPL license, it was limited to "source code" of engine and game logic. Q3A assets are still copyrighted, they cannot be re-used freely! Quake 3 is still a commercial game. Assets are usually contained in PK3 files, and the names of such files determine the order assets are loaded. * Autodownload - The game supports automatic download to get stuff like maps and mods from the servers you are connected to. Autodownload is disabled by default. Autodownloaded files are saved under your homepath folder. Autodownload does not affect game binaries (game executables). B * Basepath - Your OpenArena installation folder, the path from which you run its esecutable, is known as your basepath folder. Opposite to your homepath, which is instead where your configuration settings and autodownloaded files are. * Baseoa - The main game gamecode and assets (maps, models, etc.) are stored in a folder named "baseoa". Mods are stored in their own folders, at the same level of baseoaMods can load assets from baseoa, unless programmed to use their own stuff only.... so it's possible to use the "baseoa" term to refer to the "vanilla" game, the "base" game which does not use any mod (although it may use additional maps and models). No gamecode-changing PK3 files should be placed in baseoa. It's the equivalent of the "baseq3" folder Quake III Arena had. * BFG or BFG10K - Projectile weapon which works like a super rocket launcher: quickly launches explosive bullets. Deadly, but rare. * Bot - A computer-controlled character, useful to play offline or when there are not enough human players on a server. * Bounce pad(s) - Also known as jump pads, they are areas which give players a great push in height, allowing them to quickly reach high places. When the push is mostly horizontal, instead, they are known as accelerator pads. * Bounding box - See Hitbox under H section. * BSP - File extension for compiled maps. BSP stands for Binary Space Partitioning. * Bug(s) - Software errors which cause programs to do not behave as expected. You can point out OpenArena bugs using the Forums. C * Capture - It's the act of scoring in some gametypes, e.g. when you bring the enemy flag to your own base. * Capturelimit - In various gametypes, matches do end when the score of one of the two teams reaches the pre-defined capturelimit. * CG - ChainGun in short. * Chaingun - Hitscan weapon, it's a gatling gun which fires at a much higher rate than the starting machinegun. Its ammo will not last long and its spread makes it not very adapt for long range. * Character(s) - Models and bots which are in the game. * Character model - The 3D model of a character, which can be used by players and bots. The same character model may use different skins. * Chat - The game allows to write text messages to all players or to the players of your own team ("team chat"). When someone is writing a text message, other players will see a "balloon" icon over his head. Also, some "voice chat" features are supported. * Chatfrag - When someone is writing a text chat message, has opened the command console or is in in-game menu, other players will see a "balloon" icon over his head. Killing someone while he's writing (and thus, cannot defend himself) is known a "chatfrag". Chatfragging is usually considered a not very polite action: if you see someone with a baloon over his/her head, it's kind to do not shoot at him/her. On the other hand, this should not be abused, so players shouldn't enter text chat mode during a gunfight: in that case, they can expect to be gunned down without mercy. Note: bots do not seem too polite towards chatting people. * Cheat(s) and cheat-protected cvars - Special commands and variables available only after loading a map in "developer" mode (using devmap command). They allow things like being invulnerable (god), being incorporeal (noclip), get all weapons (give all), see through map geometry (r_showtris), etc. * Cheating - The act of exploiting the game to get unfair advantages against other players, through aimbots, wallhacks, etc. Doing that is a very bad and sad thing, which would ruin the game for everyone... including the cheater himself (where is the fun if the game aims and shoots in your place? Where is the satisfaction in arriving first, if you did it by cheathing? You didn't prove anything to yourself!). * Client - A machine of program which connects to a server to use a service. When playing in multiplayer mode, players machines act as clients. Unless running in "dedicated server" mode, it is possible to act as client and server at the same time. * Command Console or Console - Powerful command-line user interface, which allows to set tons of things using commands and variables (cvars). * Crouch - It's not used very often, but it's possible to crouch. This may allow to enter small passages, and will make your hitbox a bit smaller. While crouching, you will move slowly, and may get more damage when landing. Helps go deeper while swimming. * CVAR(s) - Variables, which usually can be set through command console, which allow to control a lot of aspects of the game. D * Dedicated server - It's a game server which runs the server part of the game only, without the client part (so you have to launch an OpenArena client and connect to it, in order to play on it). Servers have to be set to "dedicated 2" mode, if they wish to be visible as published internet servers. * Delag hitscan - Also known as Unlag hitscan, it's a technique to compensate network latency to make it easier to hit your target when using hitscan weapons. For infos about the feature, please read Delag hitscan. * Discord - Discord is a text chat and voice chat service, available through PC program, mobile app or internet browser. Its official website is http://www.discordapp.com. You can join OpenArena Discord server using this invite link. * Dmflags - A special "bit field" server-side variable which allows server admin to manage some aspects of the game. * Download mirror(s) - Links for downloading the game. E * Engine - The part of code contained in game binaries (game executables), that includes the subsystem to manage input, video, graphics, networking. Engine updates can affect also mods. Unlike gamecode, automatic download feature cannot update engine. OpenArena engine is a fork of ioquake3, which in turn is a fork of id Tech 3 engine. ** Engine binaries - The game executables, such as "OpenArena.exe" under Microsoft Windows, are the files your machine "runs" in order to start the game. Each platform (Windows, GNU-Linux, Mac OS, etc.) requires its own binaries. * ESC menu - Also known as in-game menu, is the menu which opens by pressing ESC key while in game. It allows to join a team, to call for a vote, to enter setup, etc. F * Forum - A website designed to allow users to talk about something. You can find Official OpenArena Forums at http://www.openarena.ws/board. * FPS ** FPS, First Person Shooter - The kind of game OpenArena is. To be more specific, it's a sub-genre known as Arena FPS or Arena Shooter. ** FPS, Frames Per Second - Also known as framerate, it can be controlled by com_maxfps cvar and can be shown on screen using cg_drawfps cvar. It's very advisable to set a framerate you machine can deliver constantly. See Framerate for more infos. There is also sv_fps cvar which sets how quickly the server does update the in-game world, but usually there is no need to tweak it. * Frag - In this game you have to shoot at and kill your enemies. Each kill a known as a "frag", and in some gametypes it is the most important score. ** Fragged - Killed by someone. * Fraglimit - In some gametypes, the match ends when a player reach the required number of frags, or "fraglimit". * Friendly fire - This term refers to the risk of damaging or killing your own teammates in team-based modes, by hitting them accidentally. It's common practice to have it enabed in Team Deathmatch mode, and disabled in all other modes... however that's up to the server admin to choose. G * Game binaries - The platform-specific compiled files which an Operating System "runs" to start OpenArena. They contain the engine of the game. The built-in autodownload feature cannot update them. * Gamecode - The code containing the game logic: game rules, weapons behavior, etc. Usually contained in .qvm files. Mods usually have their own, and gamecode changes brought by new OpenArena versions do not affect them. Patches containing updated gamecode can be autodownloaded. Some new gamecode features may require support from updated engine binaries. * Game engine - See Engine under E section. * Game executables - The platform-specific compiled files which an Operating System "runs" to start OpenArena. They contain the engine of the game. The built-in autodownload feature cannot update them. * Game logic - The part of the game contained in gamecode: it controls game rules, weapons behavior, etc. Mods usually have their own, and game logic changes brought by new OpenArena versions do not affect them. * Game server - A machine running OpenArena as a server, allowing players to connect to it. Such servers are run by third parties (anyone can run his own server) and OpenArena developers have no control over them. * Gametype(s) - The main game modes, which define the objectives. Examples are Free For All, Capture the Flag, Last Man Standing, etc. * Gauntlet - Melee combat weapon. Requires no ammo. Used in small places or as a last resort. * GG - "Good Game" for short. Usually written by players in text chat at the end of a match. * GH - Gold Health (+50 HP bonus) in short. * Gib(s) - Pieces of meat that come out from bodies when shot. ** Gibbing - The act of destroying bodies by killing people hitting them hard enough or by shooting at corpses. * GL - Grenate Launcher in short. * GPL, GPLv2, GPLv2+ - OpenArena is released under GNU General Public License v2. See also DeveloperFAQ#What about licensing?. The term "+" usually refers to the "either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version" phrase of the license. * Grappling hook or Grapple - Also known as hook, the grapple allows to reach places by attaching to walls. * Grenade launcher - A projectile weapon which fires explosive grenades which bounce on walls. H * Handicap - Setting an handicap would make you weaker. The lower the handicap value is set, the lower will be your maximum health and armor, and the lower will be the damage caused by your weapons. Handicap level of a player is shown in the score table. * Headshot - The term may refer to hitting someone in the head, or to killing someone by hitting him in the head with the final shot; usage of specific weapons may be required. In the base game there is absolutely no headshot detect system, so you can just aim at the body or at the feet of your foes. A few mods may take headshots in account, by giving some kind of reward/medal or by causing more damage if you hit the upper part of the hitbox, but that's not part of the main game. * Health - Usually, players enter the match with 125 health points. When health goes over 100, it slowly goes down to 100. Players die when they reach 0 health points. ** Health bonuses - The game includes bonuses which provide +5, +25, +50 or +100 health points. Only +5 and +100 (megahealth) bonuses allow to go over 100, up to 200. * Hitbox - Also known as bounding box, it's the invisible parallelepiped around characters which detemines the space they occupy and the area you can hit. It gets a bit smaller when a character crouches. Hitboxes are the same for all characters. Hitboxes are axial (X-Y) oriented and don't rotate as the character rotates. Hitting any point of the hitbox casuses the same amount of damage (some mods may alter this). If you are curious, the Unlagged mod has got an option to see hitboxes. * Hitscan weapon(s) - Also known as instant-hit weapons, they are weapons which do not fire a projectile which travels around the arena and can be dodged: hitscan weapons immediately reach their target. OpenArena supports a delag hitscan feature. * Homepath - The folder where your configuration settings and autodownloaded files are is known as your homepath folder. Opposite to your OpenArena installation folder, which is known as your basepath. * Hook - Also known as grapple, the hook allows to reach places by attaching to walls. * HP - "Health Points" in short. * HTTP redirection - Server admins can allow automatic downloads for clients reach high speeds by placing a copy of the required files on an external HTTP server, and setting the game to point to it. * HUD - The 2D stuff which gives you a lot of infos about the match, such as your current health and armor values, your remaining ammo, your score, etc. HUD stands for Heads Up Display I * In-game menu - Also known as ESC menu, is the menu which opens by pressing ESC key while in game. It allows to join a team, to call for a vote, to enter setup, etc. * Instagib or Instantgib - A game variant where you have the railgun only, and a single hit will kill any foe. * Instant-hit weapon - A synonym of hitscan weapon. It identifies the way weapons like machinegun and railgun work, with the shots immediately reaching their target instead of travelling in the arena. J * Jump - Jumping allows to get over some obstacles, and also allows to get higher speeds than simply running, with some practice: see Strafe jump. It's even possible to combine jumping with explosions, to achieve other advanced techniques like the Rocket jump. Also, pressing jump key helps to swim up to the surface, when underwater. * Jump pad(s) - Also known as bounce pads, they are areas which give players a great push in height, allowing them to quickly reach high places. When the push is mostly horizontal, instead, they are known as accelerator pads. K * Kill ** Kill, synonym of "frag" - A point earned for killing someone. However, "frag" is used more often. ** Kill, the command to commit suicide - In a few maps you may end up in places you cannot exit and killing yourself is the only solution. This will make you lose a "frag" from your score. About using the command to quickly restart with full health instead of searching for health bonuses around, or to "negate" a kill to your attacker when you are losing a gunfight, it's open to debate. Someone considers them, especially the first one, legit game strategies... someone considers them, especially the second one, not polite actions, almost cheating. * Killing spree - When a player scores "n" frags without being killed in the meanwhile, he can be awarded by a text mentioning it. See Killing Sprees, Death Sprees and Multikills. L * Lag - Latency in short. "Lag" is also used to point out connection problems which cause players to have a poor gaming experience due to the game not responding as expected (e.g. "I'm lagging! I can't move properly! I see you skipping from a place to another!"). * Latency - Network latency indicates the time required by commands to travel beteen clients (players) and server. It is possible to have a visual feedback by enabling the lagometer. Also shortened to "lag", term which is often used to point out connection problems. The term "ping" is usually used to express the latency, in milliseconds: the lower it is, the better it is. OpenArena supports a delag hitscan feature. * Lava - An incandescent liquid, usually red-orange, which very quickly drains the life of characters touching it. * LG - Lightning Gun in short. * License - OpenArena is released under the terms of the GNU General Public License v2. It's a free software license known as GPLv2 or GPLv2+. A copy of license text is included with OpenArena downloads, usually in a plain text file named COPYING. See also DeveloperFAQ#What about licensing?. * Lift - A "lift" is a platform which stays in its lower position and goes up to its raised position when a player steps on it. * Lightning gun - Hitscan weapon which quickly fires a ray of energy, up to medium range. M * Machinegun - Hitscan weapon. As a starting weapon, it's not very powerful, but effective at both close and long range and adapt to finish already weakened opponents. * Map ** Map(s) - Maps are the "arenas" where the game takes place. They are "closed" levels where characters fight. ** Map command - Map is the command to load a map from console. ** Map file(s) - Map "source" files have .map extension. They are usually edited with Radiant tools. * Mapper - Map author, a person who creates arenas for the game. * Mapping - The act of creating maps for the game. See also Mapping resources & tutorials. * Map rotation script - A series of user-defined variables which includes the commands required to launch a series of maps following a fixed order set up by server administrator. * Master server - It's a special server which keeps the real-time list of OpenArena internet-published servers. You can check the list from the in-game server browser, from external server browser programs, or from this web page: http://dpmaster.deathmask.net/?game=openarena * MG - MachineGun in short. * MH - Mega Health (+100 HP bonus) in short. * Mod or Modification - A mod is an add-on, a modification that changes one or more aspects of the game. A good part of the mods which were designed for Q3A do run with OpenArena. * Model - A 3D model; usually refers to character models, which are used by players and bots; however may also be used to refer to the 3D model of a weapon or something else. The same character model may use different skins, see Player settings. N * Nailgun - Projectile weapon which fires a cloud of nails. Extremely deadly at close range, works up to medium range. * Network latency - See Latency under L section. * NG - NailGun in short. O * OA - Short for OpenArena, the game. * OA3 - The planned content reboot of OpenArena. * OAX - OpenArena eXpanded, OpenArena eXpansion, the development version of the gamecode. * OpenArena - The game we are talking about. It's an OpenSource Arena Shooter. * OpenSource - Software that has got its source code available for re-use by third party, following the requirements of its free software license (in the case of OpenArena, GPLv2+). * Overarmor - This term can be used to identify the case you are above 100 armor points (up to 200). Such points will slowly go down to 100. * Overhealth - This term can be used to identify the case you are above 100 health points. Such points will slowly go down to 100 (up to 200, except with some special game options). P * Patch - An additional file which fixes problems and adds features, maps, etc. Patches contained in pk3 files can update gamecode and assets, and can be autodownloaded, unlike new versions of engine binaries which have to be installed manually. * PG - Plasma Gun in short. * Ping - The term "ping" is usually used to express the network latency, in milliseconds: the lower it is, the better it is. If possible, players should choose to play on the servers where they have a lower ping, to have a better experience. Ping value of each player is shown in the scoreboard. * PK3 - It's the file format which owns OpenArena stuff. Technically, it's just a .zip file with a different extension. By default the game loads only assets contained in such files (see pure server, which usually shouldn't be disabled). Do not alter the original PK3 files which came with OpenArena installation, otherwise you may experience problems connecting to servers. PK3 files are loaded in alphabetical order; assets contained in pk3 files loaded later do override assets with the same name contained in pk3 files loaded beforeAs example, an arenas.txt file contained in pak2.pk3 would be used in the place of an arenas.txt file contained in pak1.pk3.. Also, assets in pk3 files contained in mods do usually override those from baseoa. * PL - Proximity mines Launcher in short. * Plasma gun - Projectile weapon which quickly fires plasma balls. * Port ** Port, cross-platform - "Porting" a software means to recompile it/adapt it in order to make it run on different hardware and operating systems. See Ports and markets for OpenArena on other platforms. ** Port, networking - A "port" is an endpoint of communication in an operating system. Different programs accept connections on different ports. Default OpenArena port is UDP 27960, but it may vary. Integrated server browser seaches for "Local" (LAN) servers on 27960-27963 range. The same machine may run multiple OpenArena server instances by using different ports. Ports work in conjunction with IP Addresses; to manually connect to a server, one has to use connect command. See also Manual/Multiplayer/Advanced. * Price - OpenArena is provided for free, "gratis", and comes with no warranty. Some third-party may ask you some money for buying the game (see also Ports and markets), but OpenArena Team does not. * Projectile weapon(s) - Weapons which fire projectiles which travel through the map and, depending from the distance and other factor, may be dodged. Opposed to hitscan wepons. * Proximity mines launcher - Projectile weapon which fires adhesive mines, which detonate after sensing an enemy near. * Pure server - Sv_pure (default value is 1) is the server option which tells the game to load only stuff which has been packed into PK3 files. This usually should not be disabled, otherwise it may cause unpredictable problems. Q * Q3 or Q3A - Short for Quake 3 Arena. * Quake III: Arena - A fist person shooter game by id Software. OpenArena is a free clone of Quake 3, based upon its source code, which has been released under GPL license (its assets have been replaced, instead). * QVM - Extension of a file holding gamecode (game logic). Usually, mods have their own QVM file, stored in their PK3 files. QVM stands for Quake Virtual Machine. R * RA - Red Armor (+100 AP bonus) in short. * Radiant - A series of programs (Q3Radiant, GTKRadiant, NetRadiant...) used to create maps. * Railgun - An hitscan wepon, adapt for long range sniping. Leaves a colored trail. * Respawn - When a character or an item appears in the map, he/she/it "spawns". Occurrences following the first one are said "respawn". * RG - RailGun in short. * RJ - "Rocket Jump" in short. * RL ** RL, Real Life - Used to talk about something related with real world, outside from the game. ** RL, Rocket Launcher - Rocket Launcher in short. * Rocket jump - The technique of reaching great distances by jumping while shooting a rocket at your feet. In most modes this causes noticeable damage to the players, but there are some gamemodes and special game options which allow to avoid it. * Rocket launcher - A projectile weapon which fires explosive rockets. S * Scoreboard - A table which shows names, scores and ping of players. It is briefly shown when you die, and you can manually invoke it by holding TAB key. Also shown when the match ends. * Server - A machine or program which hosts services for clients that connect to it. In multiplayer mode, clients (players) connect to a server and play on it. Unless running in "dedicated server" mode, it is possible to act as client and server at the same time. * SG - ShotGun in short. * SH - Small Health (+5 AP bonus) in short. * Shader - A script which defines look and properties of a surface. Loads and mixes textures (images) in different ways, sets objects as solid, water, lava, etc. * Shooter - A trap made by a wall-mounted grenade launcher, plasma gun or rocket launcher. The model of the weapon may be omitted, and the shooter may just look like an hole or something else. * Shotgun - An hitscan weapon, effective at close range, but almost useless at long range. * SJ - "Strafe Jump" in short. * Skin - Cosmetic variation of the textures (usually colors) of a character model. Usually, models come with at least three skins (default, red, blue). See Player settings. * Slime - A toxic liqud, usually green, which hurts people that touch it. Dangerous, but not as deadly as lava. * Spawn - When a character or an item appears in the map, he/she/it "spawns". Occurrences following the first one are said "respawn". * Spawn point - Places where characters and items can appear in the map are placed by map author during map development. Some gametypes can use specific player spawn points. It is important that map authors place enough player spawn points, to avoid massive telefragging at match start in case there are many players. * Strafe jump - The technique of moving faster around the arena by jumping continously, while pressing forward and lateral movement, and moving the mouse in arcs. Mastering this technique allows to reach very high speeds. * Swim - It's possible to swim where water is deep enough. While swimming, you can press crouch key to help go deeper, and jump key to help go up to the surface and to help exiting from the water. Swimming is a risk for two reasons: 1) you move slowly and thus are an easy target; 2) you can stay underwater for a limited time, then you will have to reach the surface for a moment to take a breath, otherwise you will start losing health, ending up drowning quickly. T * Team(s) - Some gametypes are team-free (each player is on his own), while others are team-based (players are divided into red and blue teams and have to cooperate with their teammates). It's also possible to spectate. * Technique(s) - Actions (rocket jump, strafe jump...) and tactics (aim rockets at enemy feet...) skilled players can use in order to play more efficiently or to do funny things. * Telefrag - If player A occupies the space required by player B to respawn or to exit from a teleport, player A will be immediately killed ("telefragged"). Poorly designed maps, without enough spawn points, may cause multiple telefrags at match start in case the are more players than spawn points available. * Texture - An image placed on the surface of a graphic object. Can be used in shaders. * Timelimit - A match may end after the number of minutes specified by "timelimit". Usually matches last between 10 and 20 minutes. * Tweak or Tweaking - Fine-tuning game options in order to achieve better performances or to adapt the game look and feel to meet personal taste. U * Unlag hitscan - Also known as Delag hitscan, it's a technique to compensate network latency to make it easier to hit your target when using hitscan weapons. For infos about the feature, please read Delag hitscan. V * Variables - Also known as CVARs, variables can usually set through command console, which allow to control a lot of aspects of the game. * Vampire mode - A special game option which allows people to get health when hitting opponents. * Videoflags - A special "bit field" server-side variable which limits the ability of players to modify a few graphic settings. * Voice chat - Audio chatting with other players. This can be achieved through in-game VoIP support or through third party, external programs. W * Walk - This game if fast-paced, so you will probably run and jump all the time. It is however possible to walk slowly, to move carefully in areas with traps and to be silent, as you don't make footsteps sounds when you walk. * Warmup - An optional time period before the actual match start. Actions performed by players during warmup do not affect actual scores. * Website - Official OpenArena Website address is http://www.openarena.ws. * Weapons - The game features projectile wepons, hitscan (instant-hit) weapons and a melee weapon. Some weapons may harm their own user, if exploding too close. X Y * YA - Yellow Armor (+50 AP bonus) in short. * YH - Yellow Health (+25 HP bonus) in short. Z Notes See also * Manual * Mapping manual/Appendix A: Glossary of terms Category:Manual